The government is being called to bring in tougher measures against attacks on retail staff, as violence soars.
Daily incidents against shop workers shot up 50% to 1,300 in 2023, new British Retail Consortium (BRC) figures have indicated.
The trade association said incidents, including sexual harassment, racial abuse, physical assault and threats were on the same level as rates during the pandemic.
Businesses have spent £1.2bn on measures including CCTV, body cameras and increased security personnel over the year, a rise from £722m the previous year.
The cost of theft to retail businesses also rose from £953m the previous year to £1.8bn, making the total cost of crime for retailers £3.3bn.
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The trade association’s CEO Helen Dickinson said: “Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing.
“With over 1,300 incidents every day, government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues. This is a crisis that demands action now.”
The news comes as retailers are calling on the government to make assaulting or abusing a retail worker an offence, with tougher sentences for perpetrators.
Retailers have also called for greater prioritisation of retail crime by police across the UK, after police data for one major retailer in October showed they failed to respond to 73% of serious retail crimes that were reported.
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